From the St. Augustine Distillery —
St. Augustine Distillery is proud to announce that its first rum series will be available to the public on Thursday, September 3 in the Distillery’s gift shop, located on Riberia Street in downtown St. Augustine. The Discovery Series is a group of limited release expressions, created during the development of the Distillery’s flagship rum. Each one has been fermented and distilled on-site from select regional sugarcane syrups and molasses in copper pot stills and then barrel-aged for a distinct flavor profile.
“Our Director of Production, Brendan Wheatley, asked if, in order to make the best possible rum, we would allow him to create a series of 500 case allotments over the course of four months,” explained Philip McDaniel, co-founder and CEO of St. Augustine Distillery.
“This will help him ‘dial-in’ the best combination of sugar sources and distillation techniques for a first-rate final rum recipe,” McDaniel said. “We wanted our customers to have the unique chance to experience each of these different recipes as we refine our flagship rum. This opportunity is very unique and only available at a craft distillery like ours.”
The first release in the rum program, entitled Discovery Series, will be available on September 3 at the Distillery’s gift shop with Series 2 following in October, Series 3 in November and Series 4 in December. The Distillery’s flagship rum (or final recipe) is slated for a January 2016 release.
NEW VODKA & GIN BRANDS
In celebration of the new law that took effect on July 1, which gives makers of spirits the ability to sell more of their product directly to customers, St. Augustine Distillery has unveiled new brands for their vodka and gin.
Until 2013, distilleries could not sell any of their products on site. This greatly limited the ability to attract visitors and lead to more tourism spending. With the help of former Rep. Doc Renuart of Ponte Vedra Beach, a bill was passed to allow customers to purchase two bottles of spirits per year on site from distilleries.
“This new law allows our customers to buy two bottles, per brand, per year,” explained Philip McDaniel, co-founder and CEO of St. Augustine Distillery in St. Augustine, Fla. and co-founder of Florida Distillers Guild. “That means that someone can buy two bottles of our Florida Cane Vodka, two bottles of our New World Gin and two bottles each of our rum and bourbon when they become available to the public.”
And with the unveiling of the Distillery’s new Pot Distilled Vodka, Ice Plant Edition Vodka, Pot Distilled Gin, and Pot Distilled Vodka, loyal customers can continue to purchase award-winning spirits directly from the craft distillery.
For example, the new law means that a customer can buy two (2) bottles each of the following directly from St. Augustine Distillery gift shop in one calendar year: Florida Cane Vodka, Pot Distilled Vodka, Ice Plant Edition Vodka, New World Gin, Pot Distilled Gin and Ice Plant Edition Gin. More brands will hit the shelves in the coming weeks.
“This landmark law will allow small distilleries like ours to sell more spirits and be more profitable,” said McDaniel. “This will lead to more local jobs, as well as an increase in the purchase of Florida agriculture and new sources of tax revenues for the state and federal government. It will also lead to more experience-based tourism for St. Augustine.”
The St. Augustine Distillery is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with free, guided tours and tastings every half hour. For more information, call 904-825-4962 or visit staugustinedistillery.com.
